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Killing of Rekia Boyd

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Killing of Rekia Boyd
DateMarch 21, 2012 (2012-3-21)
LocationChicago, Illinois, US
TypeHomicide, shooting
MotiveResponse to being called a crackhead
ParticipantsDante Servin (shooter)
DeathsRekia Boyd
AccusedDante Servin
ChargesInvoluntary manslaughter
VerdictNot guilty[1]

Rekia Boyd (November 5, 1989 - March 21, 2012) was a 22-year-old Black American woman who was fatally shot in Chicago, Illinois by Dante Servin, an off-duty Hispanic Chicago police detective, on March 21, 2012.[1][2]

Killing

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Servin, an off-duty police officer, drove his car to Douglass Park on the West Side of Chicago after calling the police to make a noise complaint.[3] He then approached a group of four individuals who had been partying in the park[3][4] and had some form of verbal altercation with them.[3][4] One of the victims, Antonio Cross, alleged that he believed Servin was looking for a drug dealer, to which Cross allegedly told Servin to get his "crackhead ass" out of there.[3]

Servin fired on the group, hitting Rekia Boyd in the head, and Antonio Cross in the hand.

"At trial in April 2015, Rekia’s close friend Ikca testified that once Dante Servin began shooting, all who were gathered ran from his bullets. Ikca hid behind a large tree to avoid being shot. She saw Rekia on the ground injured and dying. Ikca was prevented from riding with Rekia in the ambulance. In fact, the police at the scene threatened to arrest her if she didn’t leave. Ikca told the judge that Rekia hated to be alone."[5]

Initially, the Chicago police department claimed that Servin had discharged his weapon after Cross had approached him with a gun.[6] The Boyd family quickly responded that the object was in fact a cell phone.[7] No weapon was ever recovered from the scene.[4]

Aftermath

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On April 5, 2012, Boyd’s family filed a lawsuit against Chicago. The lawsuit was settled in March 2013. In November 2013, Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter,[8] he requested a bench trial. This was the first time in 17 years that criminal charges were filed against an off-duty cop in Cook County, IL.[5] The last such case occurred in 1995, when Gregory Becker was charged and later convicted of killing Joseph Gould.[9] Servin was cleared on April 20, 2015 by Judge Dennis J. Porter in a rare directed verdict.[10] Porter's reasoning was that since the shooting was intentional, Servin could not be charged with recklessness. "It is intentional and the crime, if any there be, is first-degree murder," said Porter in his ruling.[11] Following this ruling, Servin could not be charged with murder due to double jeopardy protections.[12] Servin claimed he fired because someone in the group was holding a gun, but it was actually only a cellphone.[13]

Following the April ruling, Chicago-based organizers met and planned a number of actions through the Spring and Summer of 2015 to ensure "that Rekia would not be forgotten and that her family would not be abandoned."[14] Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) organized a rally at a Chicago Police Board meeting in August 2015, effectively shutting the meeting down early in response to cavalier treatment of Boyd's bereaved brother, Martinez Sutton.[15]

In November 2015, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and police superintendent Garry McCarthy both suggested that Dante Servin should be fired by the Chicago Police Board.[16] The city paid $4.5 million to Boyd's family to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit.[9]

Servin resigned on May 17, 2016, two days before the departmental hearing which was to decide whether he should be fired.[17][18]

In November 2019, Servin requested that the case be expunged from his record. The request was denied by a judge, as was a subsequent request to seal the case's records.[19]

Protests

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The ruling sparked some public protest.[11] The Black Lives Matter movement has protested the deaths of black girls and women at the hands of police, including Boyd's.[20]

List of Chicago-based groups that led actions to support Boyd's family and fight against gendered and racialized violence:[14]

  • BYP100
    • Organized a National Day of Action for Black Women and Girls, 5/21/2015.[21]
    • Attended and rallied at Chicago Police Board meetings as part of the #FireDanteServin campaign.[15]
  • Project NIA
    • Co-organized with the Taskforce. “A Legal Teach-in for Rekia Boyd," held on 4/29/2015 at DePaul Law School by the school's chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). Other co-sponsors included Chicago’s NLG chapter, TUPOCC, Peoples Law Office, Black Lives Matter Chicago, We Charge Genocide, Uptown People’s Law Center, and the Lawndale Christian Legal Center. Organizers reported harassment by school officials and the Chicago Police Department, who surrounded the building in which the event was held with dozens of officers and utilized surveillance equipment.[22] The event drew close to 200 participants.
    • Co-ordinated a month-long event series, "Black August Chicago - Black Women and State Violence."[23] The Facebook event invite listed thirteen separate events, including speak-outs, discussions, workshops, rallies, and letter-writing to incarcerated Black women.
  • BLM Chicago
  • WAPB
  • Feminist Uprising to Resist Inequality and Exploitation (FURIE)
  • International Socialist Organization (ISO)
  • We Charge Genocide
    • Attended police board meetings
  • Chicago Taskforce on Violence against Girls & Young Women

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Tolentino, Jia (April 21, 2015). "Cop Who Killed Rekia Boyd Out of 'Fear' Found Not Guilty on All Counts". Jezebel. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Sasha. "Judge finds Chicago police officer not guilty in fatal shooting". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d Sweeney, Annie. "Inside the failed prosecution of Chicago Detective Dante Servin". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  4. ^ a b c Rucinski, Tracy (November 25, 2013). "Chicago cop charged with killing unarmed young woman during off-duty confrontation". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Four Years Since a Chicago Police Officer Killed Rekia Boyd, Justice Still Hasn't Been Served". In These Times. 2016-03-21. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  6. ^ Sobol, Rosemary (March 21, 2012). "Cops: Off-duty Chicago detective shoots couple". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Chicagoans Rally For Rekia Boyd, Woman Fatally Shot By Off-Duty Detective". Huffington Post. Mar 30, 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  8. ^ Goldstein, Sasha (November 28, 2013). "Chicago cop charged with killing unarmed young woman during off-duty confrontation". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Gorner, Jeremy. "Anger follows acquittal in rare trial of Chicago cop". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ^ The Associated Press (April 20, 2015). "Chicago Police Detective Cleared of Manslaughter in Shooting Death". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Cynic, Aaron (April 27, 2015). "Judge's Ruling in Rekia Boyd Case Sparks Outrage, Protests". Chicagoist via Truth-Out.org. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Schutz, Paris; Thometz, Kristen. "Aftermath of Rekia Boyd Verdict". WTTW News. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  13. ^ "Editorial: Rekia Boyd shooting was 'beyond reckless,' so cop got a pass". Chicago Tribune. 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  14. ^ a b Kaba, Mariame (2015-09-19). "#FireDanteServin: An Abolitionist Campaign in Chicago". Prison Culture. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  15. ^ a b "Rekia Boyd's Bloody Hair Shown to Police as Activists Take Over Meeting". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  16. ^ Hernandez, Jade (November 24, 2015). "Emanuel: Officer who fatally shot Rekia Boyd 'does not deserve to wear police star' Archived 2015-12-05 at the Wayback Machine". ABC 7 Chicago.
  17. ^ "Chicago officer who shot Rekia Boyd resigns". CNN. 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  18. ^ Sweeny, Annie (18 May 2016). "Police Detective Dante Servin resigns before possible firing over fatal shooting". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  19. ^ Masterson, Matt. "Expungement Request Denied for Ex-CPD Detective Dante Servin in Rekia Boyd Case". WTTW News. Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  20. ^ Mandaro, Laura; Guynn, Jessica (May 22, 2015). "Naked protesters gather in San Francisco for 'Black Lives Matter'". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  21. ^ "[ACTION] National Day of Action for Black Women and Girls". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  22. ^ "DePaul, JMLS Guild Chapters Push-Back Against Repressive School Administration and CPD Responses to Police Accountability Panels". nlgchicago.org. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
  23. ^ "Black August - Black Women and State Violence | Facebook". archive.ph. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
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